//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Only One Speck of Dust // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// Applejack tossed and turned in her bed. The pillow under her head was damp, showing that her good old method had lowered her fever. Under her left-hoof bandage, the waken pain burned and scratched. It was about time to change it. In front of her, on the nearby pillow, Caramel was still sleeping. He had worried about her so much that he had insisted to sleep by her side, and to make sure everything was fine. In other circumstances, she would have made him understand she could take care of herself but the night had been long and she could not deny that she really wanted him to stay with her. Cuddling up to him had soothed her heart in pain and had prevented her from making nightmares like on the previous night. Her guilt, for all that, had not left her yet. Applejack well might have reassured herself, thinking things would have happened this way anyway, nothing helped. She could not stop thinking she had something to do with Double Diamond’s death. A lot of “what if?” rushed through her mind, eroding the inside of her body like a million of sharp teeth. She had never been in love with the white stallion, yet she had stayed for so long with him because she had felt some kind of tenderness toward him. He used to make her smile, to always try his best so she would feel good. Even if it was too much, sometimes. With him, she was so sure she would never have her heart broken. Just looking at the way he used to look at her as if she had been the most wonderful of all Equestria’s mare was a proof. Applejack had never told him she loved him, never lied about her own feelings. He had stayed anyway because he loved her. More than everything else. And finally, she was the one who had broken his heart. Caramel seemed to move by her side. She expected him to open his eyes and smile at her. She would snuggle against him, would close her eyelids and would try to forget all the rest. But he kept his eyes closed and only turned his head the other way. She did not know what time it was yet knew it would be hard for her to fall asleep again now. All she would get by staying in her bed pondering would be to feel even worse – although a part of herself whispered it was what she deserved. Softly, not to risk to disturb her coltfriend’s peaceful sleep, she slid out of the sheets and suppressed a chill. Her coal-burner might be cold… Her eyes noticed her bathrobe on the back of a chair at the other end of the room. She hesitated. Then made up her mind. The floor made of wooden planks was freezing cold and Applejack cursed herself for refusing a carpeting when the family’s apartments had been refurbished. Carpeting were for coquettes like this Rarity. She was the daughter of an Appleloosa’s native, which was a hostile and wild land, not a lady born in silky sheets. The petty reasons that made ourselves take the wrong decisions sometimes… She quickly crossed the room and put on the wool and cotton outfit. She always thought she was ridiculous dressed like this. However, during the Ceaseless Night, it was impossible not to wear a few clothes since even the winter coat was not enough to muffle the stinging cold. Applejack examined her bandages. Some were drenched with red. It really was the moment to change them but she did not want to wake Caramel up. Melrose would accept to do it… For this, she had to go to the inn’s main kitchens where she probably was. She knew she could take an advantage from it to get coal from the stocks in order to renew the warmth of her bedroom. For all that, she did not dash outside. One of the candles from her alter had flickered down. Applejack was a pious pony, attached to the morals dictated in the Great Book of Ponies. Sometimes, her faith flickered like the candle. But it always would come back. It was a code of honor that was a part of her character, of who she was intrinsically. From her youngest age, these precepts had been a part of her daily routine. Melrose was from a religious family and Longreen himself had been a Master of Rituals. It was her need to understand this father she only knew through stories told by her mother, Uncloudy Shelter and Firefly, that she loved deeply despite it all, she had started to follow the Silk Tutelage in order to become a Master of Rituals as well. With her mouth, she took the candlestick of the one still burning and tilted it so the other black wick would be on fire. The old discolored picture of her father, the only one she had, appeared again. Her brother and her had inherited of their father’s freckles and green eyes, and although she looked more like Melrose, she often told her she found in her a lot of the pony she had married. Her mother had brought up her two children and their adoptive little sister with a lot of love and a great sense of morals. Sometimes, Applejack had envied Rainbow Dash, that Uncloudy Shelter and Firefly encouraged to give her opinions firmly on many topics and who had been a bit more permissive about her hobbies. But with time, she had finally understood that this type of education had been the most suitable with her character. The picture was stuck above the traditional altar in the honor of those gone too soon – it was surrounded by two candles, a spider trapped under a darken glass, and bits, all supposed to bring prosperity to the deceased in the afterlife. Each time she looked at that picture, Applejack could not help but wonder what would her father have thought about her and her actions. The sensation was especially strong today. He who had fought with Uncloudy Shelter during the Fratricide War, even though he had been sent first by the Web in order to find and kill him, what would he have to say about her responsibility in Double Diamond’s death, and about this new conflict outlining which occurred nothing good? She sighed. In reality, no one could say. Asking herself all these questions was pointless. It was as useless as keeping on moping about something that she could not change. Knocks against her window made her startle and got her out of her thoughts. Applejack turned around to look at the bed where Caramel did not react. Reassured, she went to the window and opened it to see Rainbow Dash flying in front of her, dressed with her cloak that was ripped at some spots. She probably had not asked Melrose yet to craft a new one for her. Or maybe it was to make sure everyone would be the witness of her battle wounds? She sure was able of something like this. “I wasn’t sure you were awake”, she said to her. “Hush”, Applejack intimated her, showing her bed with her head. Rainbow Dash slipped her head through the gap and smiled before she winked at her best friend. This one chose not to point the tacit bawdy innuendo, not even by rolling her eyes the way she often did. They both had not took the plunge yet, eager to take things slowly. And… It was all very well for Rainbow Dash to be a smartass on this topic. “Maybe ya shouldn’t be flyin’ in yar state”, she whispered to her best friend. “What are you saying? I’m in great shape!” “In great shape? Yar limpin’ more than mah granny.” “Nope, that’s nothing at all. I’ll gallop like your little sister tomorrow.” This time, Applejack rolled her eyes. It was not as if she was not used to Rainbow Dash’s arrogant side. With it, she would not be like Rainbow Dash… However, she knew her by heart. Ten percent of her boasting actually was a protective shell so the others would never see she also had doubts and weaknesses. She had been this way since her youngest age. She hated to let the others see her flaws. She had to be the best, the strongest, the fastest, so that no pony would ever try to abuse what was fragile inside herself. “D’ya came here to play smartass or d’ya have sumethin’ to tell me?” “I’m going to visit Knight Shelter. He promised he’d tell me about the Web because he thinks it could help me understand how the Unavowed Army is working. Do you want to come?” When they had come together again, Applejack had told her everything Rarity had confessed during their fight. It had not really surprised neither Rainbow Dash or Soarin. None had trouble guessing the intentions hidden behind this attack against them. Prince Blueblood was not as smart as he thought if he believed none of them would understand what was his ultimate goal. The Militia did not only protect the Head, the city, Ponyville and Equestria citizens, but also the Princesses to whom they had sworn allegiance. If their safety was threatened, although the Cavalry was here to defend them, they had to do everything they could to make sure they were safe. The choice made by Rainbow Dash to ask questions to Knight Shelter was rather wise. The way the Web – the group of mercenaries he had chosen to defend his cause – had worked seemed really close to this of the Unavowed Army. Though there might be differences, it was a good beginning to understand before thinking about a strategy. It was not that Applejack did not care about the topic. But… before starting a new night watch which was going to be under pressure, she wanted to take a small break, to grant herself a quiet bubble with the pony of her heart and with her family. “No problem, AJ, I understand. I’ll keep you informed. See you!” Immediately, Rainbow Dash rushed at full speed toward the lower balcony. Applejack shut her eyes not to see what was going to happen. The distance was too short, the pace too fast, and with her serious injuries at her flank and thigh… Unsurprisingly, she heard the sound her body made when it crushed against the concrete. Applejack leaned over, and tried to see in which state Rainbow Dash was. She had landed flat on her back, hooves in the air… And waved at her with a stupid ‘hello’, as if everything was perfectly fine. The mare sighed while closing her bedroom window. Here she was, the dreaded Head of one of the most important Militia of Equestria… Immediately, a smile appeared on Applejack’s face. Yes, here she was. This brash, always overly-confident nature. Ruthless, demanding, uncompromising. The only one able to make a Sonic Rainboom, proof of her incredible speed. Proud and stubborn, but also filled with more love than one could count despite what she let appeared, brave, strong even in the most complete adversity, empathic, loyal. Endearing, quite simply. Her best friend. Her sister. ------------------------------------------------------ More than the sound, it was the blue shadow hurrying at full speed against the balcony’s slabs that called out to them. Expecting to see Rainbow Dash show up at any moment, Spitfire and Knight Shelter had opened wide their heavy velvet curtains. Nonetheless, they did not think her arrival would be so spectacular. And not in a good way. What was on her mind for deciding to fly so fast with such injuries? When Soarin had brought her home this morning, she had passed out. The physician mares who had also healed Applejack, who also was in a pitiful state, had told her she had been lucky not to have get a septicemia then had warned her: no tiresome trainings for a few days. To fly was permitted, provided that she would take it slow with her take-offs and landings. Like often, she had only half-listened. Or she was simply being pig-headed. Both solutions were more than a possibility. Spitfire was thinking about leaving in order to let uncle and niece have their little discussion but could not resist the urge to annoy the mare pegasus that she found flat on her back, stupidly waving at Applejack at the balcony above. “Well, Rainbow Crash, can’t remember how to use those wings?”, she teased mockingly. “That balcony throw itself on me.” Obviously, the youngest still had troubles dealing with her rout. Funny, it reminded her of Firefly who, although she could not fly anymore, kept on playing kamikazes in bad faith at each occasion. On the ground, of course, not in the air. But it was much of a muchness. Nonetheless, she stretched out her hoof to Rainbow Dash who took it with a smile, before standing back up. Her cloak was in a pitiful state but it did not seem to bother her… Incredible. She was the Head of the Militia; she could not afford to hang around decked out like this. What kind of dread and respect could she inspire to the enemy, if she looked like a tramp pony? As soon as Rainbow Dash was inside the huge bedroom, Spitfire grabbed the cloak, under the shocked gaze of the youngest mare. She threw the rags in the trashcan without a least of hesitation, before looking through her closet and getting a brand new cloak, with the same red color and the same golden lining. “Ask Melrose to embroider your Cutie Mark on this one. It’s better than your old ripped thingy.” Upon these words, she turned around. Passing by her husband, sitting on the bed watching the two mare pegasi, Spitfire let her tail slip along Knight Shelter’s chest, and left the room. He promised himself that once back, he would show his wife what it costed to frustrate him this way. In front of him, his niece was spinning around herself, admiring her brand new cloak. She might have been cute if only she did not limp so much. Right now, she made him think about a pony in a ghost story. A well-dressed pony, but a ghost story pony anyway. “Once you’ll be done with your fashion show, maybe we could talk”, he said getting off the bed. “I didn’t want to bother your courtship ritual with Spitfire. It’s up to you.” This was for him. He had it coming. They both had some kind of an off-putting relationship since years. Rainbow Dash had quickly understood why her uncle never left the Royal Tavern and Inn, and even rarely this whole-floor bedroom. He was the only pony with an immutable house arrest. For a long while she had been thinking this was not a very high price to pay once known how much he had put Equestria to fire and the sword. For this reason, he no longer had been for her the uncle which carapace split in her presence, who secretly gave her candies when she was punished. She had put a distance between them, and no longer took shelter behind him when she feared a retribution for having done something stupid, although she was gladly close to his wife, Spitfire. The situation had remained this way until teenage years, when Rainbow Dash had finally understood that a quiet life could last more than a hundred years and that not being able to go into the open air and especially not being able to fly, was harder to go through than death. Herself would never have endured such a punishment. Since then, they had become close again. But in the meantime, something had been broken and the bond of yesteryear had been impossible to repair. If she no longer fled from Knight Shelter, she kept on being closer to Spitfire whom she visited twice more often. He asked Rainbow Dash whether she wanted some tea and she said yes. She followed her uncle in the nearby room, an open kitchen on a living-room in which there was a couch, and shelves full of books. Instead of suiting herself in this room where she might have felt more at ease, she chose to climb on one of the high chairs in front of the counter separating the kitchen from the living-room. It was not about being closer to her uncle… It was about being closer to the coal-burner. She gazed at Knight Shelter opening a closet, getting a teapot which he filled with water coming from a big nearby bucket, then putting it on the cast iron cooker. Before he burned a match, he checked the level of coal. A bright flame rose quickly as a sign that everything was working. At least, he was not like some pony, unable to do anything unless their mare was here to explain. Spitfire being who she was, which meant everything but a traditional housewife, it could not have been otherwise, anyway. In the same way, the stallion she would get married to had better be able to handle things on his own. “So”, he started. “Let’s cut to the chase. What do you want to know?” “Everything.” “It’s a little vague, don’t you think so?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. It might be vague but it was the truth. All her uncle knew, she wanted to know as well. It was not about a small bunch of criminals or of professional robbers, not even a bunch of pimps, nor about a Web’s nostalgic pony as that Wind Rider. Their problem was bigger, more threatening, and this threat was not about her own little person, but about the whole city, if not Equestria in entire. Knight Shelter might have understood by the determination in her eyes. Fine. If she wanted him to tell him all he could, he would. If only he could have get out of here, he would have adored to gaze closely at what had happened on the previous night and at what was going to happen after. Some kind of sick excitation grow inside himself each time he thought about it. However, he shut down his enthusiasm and only took two cups in the closet with a half-smile. Smile that Rainbow Dash quickly noticed, but on which she made no comment. There was no need to hold forth about it. She knew what he was truly thinking – that nothing was worth the smell of blood and the fever of a good kill. “In fact, it’s not that complicated… There’s mainly three types of ponies in this kind of underground organizations. Those, blind, who believe in a cause and who would be ready to die for this cause. You know them well at the Militia. They’re in some kind of way your devilish twins since they believe in ‘the wrong cause’, the one of the bad ponies who want to reduce the others to slavery.” For a few seconds, she looked away, unable to do otherwise. His words resounded in her head with an aggressive bitterness. Knowing that Knight Shelter had been the trigger of the Fratricide War gave something gloomy to his speech and it seemed to her that the dazzling light of the lamps dispersed all around the room had turned a little weak. “What about the two other types?”, Rainbow Dash finally asked. “Plain and simple. Money or power, if not both, are their driving force. Their main source of motivation. But just remember that they all have something in common. There’s no exception. They think about their own interests. Yes, even those defending a so-called cause. Now, let’s be clear… This is a chance for the Militia.” “How could this be a chance?” “Because you can always deter of the project those motivated by money or power. All you have to do is to make them understand that the power is within your hooves and too bad if it’s not. Never hesitate to try to corrupt the enemy’s clan. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience.” Rainbow Dash had not doubt about it. This method had been an amazing success for Knight Shelter. By corrupting some Ponies of the Cavalry, he had been able to encourage them to turn against their Leader, who was no more no less than Uncloudy Shelter, Rainbow Dash’s father and Knight Shelter’s twin brother. In fact, if the Fratricide War had been so long it was because this corruption had infected any social ranks of Equestria, from the high-ranking officers to the beggars. The Web, the famous society of mercenaries he had created in order to get him to the highest realms of power, had infiltrated everywhere. It had taken time, dedication and the precious help of faithful friends impossible to deter, for Uncloudy Shelter to be able to contain the decomposition which had gnawed the continent. Then, more years to establish a semblance of harmony and peace. Peace which had almost stumble when the Heir Apparent, aka Prince Blueblood, had killed his parents, King Sunset Sunrise and Queen Harmony, and tried to kill as well the ones who had been chosen to occupy the throne instead of him, his aunts Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Today, history wanted to repeat. It was out of question for Rainbow Dash. Whatever the price was, she would ensure that no new civil war would burst in Equestria and that the name of her family would not be soiled again, held as responsible for the death and the disabilities triggered by a selfish and dictatorial cause.